Falling Uphill for kids

The Make-A-Book Project and author-in-residence program school photographs. Pictured here are all four of the aerial-view school photos. Kids standing in the shape of a bicycle, worm, butterfly and cupcake.
Books

How the school photos are made

How I make the aerial view photos look real, including using satellite views and chalking the drawing out square by square.

The Make-A-Book Project and author-in-residence program school photographs. Pictured here are all four of the aerial-view school photos. Kids standing in the shape of a bicycle, worm, butterfly and cupcake.
Books

How the books are made

The following is a step by step summary of how the book is made, including: planning, creating, celebrating and making a difference in the world.

Vamos Chicas, a young girls club pose in front of a scenic Paraguay mountiain.
Make-A-Book Project

Vamos Chicas Vamos

The Spanish edition of my “Falling Uphill” kids book “Cayendo Hacia Arriba” is being used by the Peace Corp in Paraguay to teach kids how to read and dream.

How to fall uphill infographic. A bicyclist falls up a mountain until they are standing on the top.
Games

How to fall uphill

Here is a fun new graphic that I created. It has been simmering in my brain for years. I think it really captures the essence of how doubt and fear are essential to any adventure. The trick is harnessing that emotional fuel and turning disadvantages into advantages.

Cayendo Hacia Arriba Paraguay Peace Corp s03
Books

Falling Uphill in Paraguay with the Peace Corps

Scott Stoll is an author from my hometown who served as the U.S. Embassy’s cultural ambassador in Argentina during the 2011-2012 school year. His time in Argentina and collaboration with Argentine schools resulted in a Spanish language version of his book, Falling Uphill: The Secret of Life, about his 4 year journey around the world on his bicycle.

Scott Stoll age 5 on his first bicycle
Make-A-Book Project

Acknowledgments / Agradecimientos

As I mentioned, celebrating the book, meaning feeling a sense of accomplishment, may be the most important step in the whole process. Read more about our goals.

Students from Argentina holding their certificates of achievements and their copy of "Cayendo Hacia Arriba," the book that we created together.
Make-A-Book Project

Celebrating the book

Students from Argentina holding their certificates of achievements and their copy of “Cayendo Hacia Arriba” the book that we created together. In my opinion, the celebration of the book is the most important step. It helps the students realize their purpose in life, take a step of action with their passion.

Falling Uphill Teachers guide
Crafts & Activities

Classroom Resources

This free guide to Scott’s bicycle ride around the world includes an exercise for turning dreams into reality, a world-travel trivia quiz, exercises for planning and mapping a world adventure, travel writing lessons, class discussions, backyard adventures, and more.

Welcome to Yebrail Matta school
Make-A-Book Project

Ambassador to Argentina

A quick summary of my trip as Cultural Ambassador to Argentina with my 5th and favorite video of distributing 2000 books to the kids.

US Embassy Buenos Aires folders
Make-A-Book Project

Videos of my return to Argentina

I was honored to return to Argentina as the Cultural Ambassador of the US Department of State. Read the overview and see the movies.

Scott presenting his story of bicycling around the world
Make-A-Book Project

Sharing my story in Argentina

As the Honorary Cultural Ambassador to Argentina, here I am sharing my story with an elementary school in Corrientes, Argentina, the same place I got stuck in the mud for 5 days.

Step #3: Play it! Take a step of action to make your dreams real.

Take a step of action to help make dreams come true.

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